Collapsible seat back



R. E. WINCHESTER.

' COLLASIBLE SEAT BACK.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. I4. 191s.

RALPH E. WINGHESTER, oF Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. v

COLLAPSIBLE SEAT BACK.

Specification of Letters Patent. "Patented Feb. 7, 1922 Application filed October 14,r 17919. Serial No. 330,629;

To all @Je/20m t fmrty concern.'

Be it known that I, RALPH E. lVINoHEs-v TER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of'Los A114 geles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Seat Backs, of which kthe following is a specification. n

This invent-ion relates to folding seat backs and particularly to ,folding automobile seat backs. Itis an object lof the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and effective folding seat back construction. e

An object of the invention islto provide a simple and effective folding or collapsible seat back for automobiles which makes it possible to lower the back of the front seat ofu a car into a horizontal position so that it may be arranged to co-operate with the seat cushions, etc., to form a bed in thecar. The simplicity of the construction is an important feature of the invention as it notronly makes the device inexpensivelto manufacture but also makes it simple and convenient to operate.

l A further object ofthe inventionl is to provide a seat'construction foi-automobiles which will not materially weaken or affect the body of the car. The construction proV vided bythe invention makes the body Vof the car as strong andrigid as the ordinarybody construction now in common use and is at thesame time neat and sightly. Y

There are further objects and features of the invention which. will be readily under- Vstoodfrom the following. 'detailed description of a specific preferred' forni of ther invention throughout which referenceis had to the accompanying drawings, inl which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of aportion of an ordinary automobile with'parts broken away to showin section; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed section taken as indicated by line 2-2 on Fig. 1; F ig. 3 is an enlarged section taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 3.

Throughout the drawings numerallO des-V ignates the back of the front seat of the automobile and numeral 11 designates the seat cushion of the front seat. The back 10 is connected to the side walls 12 of the body of the machine sothat it may be lowered'into kthe position of the seat cushion 11 when the .ofthe uprights. Thesliders seat cushion 11 hasgbeen removed. A very comfortable -bedis formed in the car when the back 10 of the vfront seat has thus been arranged` in the position of the seat cushion 11 and the seat cushion 11 and the seat cushion ofthe rear seat havebeen placed between the seat back v10 and the rear seat back 13 so that they are 'longitudinal ofthe car and are in the same back 10. i

The back 1,0 of the front seat comprisesv a wooden frame 15 on which'is mounted suitable upholst'ering 16. The frame 15l comh'o'rizontal plane as the seat prises uprights or end posts 17 which extend upwardly from the endsof thelower transverse frame member 18. The lupper transverse frame member 18k extends between the upper ends of the end posts 17. It will be understood that thebody construction or frame construction herein described is merely typical and that the invention is not limited in any lwayto suchrconstruction.

The back 10 extends between twoV oppositely disposed inwardly extendingY 20 of the side walls13 at the inner edges of which are stationary uprights 21. The uprights v21 and the upiights17 are normally parallel with each other and are substanattach'ed or lconnected at its upper corners to the rportions20 of the side walls 13, by sliders'30 which are suitablyconnected to the uprights 17 andv are slidable on vertical guide rods 31 which are attached to the upportionsV `tially of the same height. The back 10 is Y rights 21. .The sliders 30 areconnected to the uprights 17 by means of bolts l33 which extend through theuprights 17 and'screw thread into portions 34o`f the sliders. The Vbolts 33 are free to rotate in the uprightsy 17 and suitabley washers' 35 are provided-be i tween th'eheadsof the boltsandthe surfaces 30 are provided with bores 40, at right angles to the bolts 33, in which are carried theguide rods 31. The rods 31 extend through grooves 42 in the uprights and are carried at their lower ends in blocks 43 which fit in the lower ends of the grooves 43 and are held in position by suitable screws 44. The upper end sof the rods 31 extend through grooves 60 in the upper ends of the uprights 21 as clearly shown in Fig. 3 and are attachedv to the inner surfaces of the uprights 21 yby means of screws 45. The grooves 42 extend the entire A skilled in the art or length of the uprights 21 and are large enough to allow the sliders 30 to move up and down on the rods 31.

It will be noted in the drawings that the bolts 33 are at the upper ends of the uprights 17 and that the rods 31 are near the forward i struction makes it possible to lift or swing the vlower portion of the back 10 Jforward and upward until the back is in a horizontal osition. This swinging up of the back 10 1s about the axis of the .bolts 33. When the back is swung up to a horizontal position (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4) it can be lowered by allowing the sliders 30 to move downwardly on the rods 31 until the back 10 is in the position of the seat cushion 11. When the back 10 in its normal posi# tion, that is, when the back 10 is in a vertical position, it is prevented from swinging rearwardly by beading 50 which is mounted on the uprights 21 so as to extend inwardly and engage the rear sides of the uprights 17 clearly shown in Fig. 2. The beading does not extend high enough on the uprights 21 to interfere with the movement or swinging of the seat back 11 into a horizontal position.

Having described a specific preierred form of my invention I do not wish to limit myself to the details herein set forth but lwish t0 reserve to myself any changes or modifications that may appear to those fall within the scope of the following claims.

I-Iaving described a preferred form of my p invention, I claim z Al. In an automobile body having side walls with oppositely disposed upright parts, a seat back arranged between said parts, the seat back being slidably hinged at its upper corners to the upright parts to be movable to a horizontal position directly fromV its normal operating position and be vertically movable while in a horizontal position, said connections being the only connections between the seat back and the upright parts.

2. In an vautomobile body having side walls with oppositely disposed upright members, a seat back extending between the up right members, the seat back being slidably hinged at its upper corners to the upright side of the uprights 21. This conmembers and vadapted to .be swung into a horizontal plane and moved vertically, the connections between the upright members and the seat back comprising members pivotally mounted on the seat back and slidably connected to guides on the upright members.

3. In an automobile body having side walls with oppositely disposed upright members, a seat back extending between the up.-

right members, the seat back being slidably hinged. at its upper corners to the upright members and adapted to be swung into a. horizontal plane and moved vertically, the connection between the upright members and the seat back comprising sliders pivotally iaving bores in which are slidably carried rods connected to the upright members.

4;. In an automobile body having side walls with oppositely disposed upright members, a seat bach extending right members, the seat back being slidably hinged at its upper corners to the upright members and adapted to be swung into a horizontal plane and moved vertically, the connection between the upright members and the seat backcom'prising rods connected to the upright members `Aand extending through grooves in the upright members, and sliders pivotally mounted on the seat back, the sliders having bored portions through whichthe rods extend and which are adapted to slide in the grooves.

In an automobile body having side walls, a seat structure at the front portions of the body embodying7 a seat, oppositelyl disposed upright parts at the side walls, a back slidably hinged at its upper portion to said parts and adapted to be swung to a horizontal position and moved vertically, and members on said parts to prevent backward movement of the back from its normal yoperating position and to cover the joints between the back and said parts.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed by name this26th day of September, 1919.

RALPH E. WINCI-IESTER.

Witness: l

VIRGINIA I. BERINGER.

between the up- Y mounted on the seat back, the sliders 

